I think we should forget about this division of cinema and theatre. A black comedy revolving around a severely mentally-handicapped child could easily have crossed the boundary into bad taste but superb acting from Bates, Janet Suzman and Joan Hickson and delicate direction from Peter Medak ensured that this remarkable film was moving and beautifully judged from beginning to end. Alan Bates Height 5ft 10 (177.8 cm) English actor best remembered for roles in films such as Zorba the Greek, Far from the Madding Crowd, Gosford Park, The Fixer, Women in Love, An Unmarried Woman, Hamlet and Georgy Girl. Following two years in the Royal Air Force, he joined the new English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre. His 1997 stage portrayal of a travel writer facing life's big questions at the bedside of his comatose wife in Simon Gray's "Life Support" was called "a magnificent performance, one of the finest of his career" (Charles Spencer, Sunday Telegraph, 10 August 97). [Editor Rob: maybe he was a max of 5ft 10, from watching some of that Georgy Girl he could look very similar range to Redgrave. More than 50 film roles have followed, one of which, The Fixer (1968) (from a novel by Bernard Malamud) earned an Academy Award nomination for Bates. Tristan died during an asthma attack in 1990; Ward died in 1992. He was created a Knight Bachelor in the 2003 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to Drama. |  Alan Bates was one of Britain's most charismatic actors - with rugged good looks that made women adore him. In the same year Bates appeared in John Osborne's "Look Back in Anger," a play that gave a name to a generation of postwar "angry young men." Celebrity Fan Photos and Agency Pictures of stars are © to their respective owners. Won two Tony Awards for his only two nominations: in 1973, as Best Actor (Dramatic) for "Butley," a performance he recreated in the film version of the same name, His companion and lover towards the end of his life was his lifelong friend, actress. Sign: Aquarius. - IMDb Mini Biography By: You're doing public work. Alan Bates Net Worth, Height, Wiki, Age, Bio. British stage and screen veteran Alan Bates was best remembered for his quiet power in a range of supporting roles. You want recognition, public recognition. Bates made his film debut in The Entertainer (1960) before coming to notice in 1962 with Whistle Down the Wind (1961) and A Kind of Loving (1962), the feature film debuts of two highly-respected British directors; Bryan Forbes and the Oscar-winner John Schlesinger. His courage and strength were remarkable, and even in his final days his humor remained intact. Bio / wiki sources: Wikipedia, accounts on social media, content from our users. After grammar school in Derbyshire, he earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Alan Arthur Bates: Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m) Mini Bio (2) Alan Bates decided to be an actor at age 11. Classic Hollywood Actors Alan Heights. His last two roles in New York earned critical praise and all the Best Actor awards Broadway can bestow. He was the Patron of the Actors Centre in Covent Garden, London; Bates and his family endowed a theatre there in memory of Tristan Bates, who, like his father and brother, was an actor. This is illustrated by the few 'universally known' films that he has appeared in. Eldest of three brothers from an artistic family: his two brothers are artists, his father was a fine cellist, and his mother a pianist who had studied in Paris. David Claydon , Other Works Comments 0. Karen Rappaport . And why not? After his death, there was an outpouring of affection and respect. He was knighted in the 2003 New Year's Honours List. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/alan-bates-4508.php If there was ever an actor whose choice of film projects suggested a pure love of acting rather than an interest in commercial gain, it would have to be Alan Bates. (1981). ", - IMDb Mini Biography By: Birthday: 17 February 1934. In 1969, Bates played Rupert Birkin in Women in Love (1969), where he gave the best performance in the film for which Glenda Jackson won her first Oscar. Four years later Bates appeared in his first film, a classic: The Entertainer (1960), in which he plays one of Laurence Olivier's sons. . Heights are barefeet estimates, derived from quotations, official websites, agency resumes, in person encounters with actors at conventions and pictures/films. In fact Zorba the Greek (1964) (Zorba the Greek) and Georgy Girl (1966) are perhaps his only two films that people with no interest in cinema would have definitely heard of. Alan Bates Biography ; Obituaries Alan Bates Born Alan Arthur Bates, February 17, 1934, in Allestree, Derbyshire, England; died of pancreatic cancer, December 27, 2003, in London, England. Sir Alan Arthur Bates, CBE was an English actor who came to prominence in the 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from the popular children's story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving, He is also known for his performance with Anthony Quinn in Zorba the Greek, as well as his roles in King of Hearts, Georgy Girl, Far From the Madding Crowd, and The Fixer, in which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, Bates went on to star in The Go-Between, An Unmarried Woman, Nijinsky, and The Rose with Bette Midler, as well as playing varied roles in television drama, including The Mayor of Casterbridge, Harold Pinter's The Collection, A Voyage Round My Father, An Englishman Abroad (as Guy Burgess), and Pack of Lies, He also continued to appear on the stage, notably in the plays of Simon Gray, such as Butley and Otherwise Engaged. Actor. For each role he created a three-dimensional, unique person; there is no stereotypical Alan Bates character. As Ken Russell said in his Evening Standard tribute, "The airwaves have been heavy with unstinted praise for Alan Bates since his untimely death . Template:Infobox actor Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE (February 17, 1934 – December 27, 2003) was a British actor. A supremely talented and versatile actor, Bates hasn't attained the stardom of far lesser performers because of his preference for challenging and interesting work and an avoidance of being type-cast. With such talents as Bates, Julie Christie, Peter Finch and Terence Stamp it is no surprise that the acting was of the highest order but the film itself was a disappointment. His West End debut in 1956, at 22, was also the company's first production. I think any sort of great production should be filmed, just for the future if for nothing else. The rumpled charm of his youth weathered into a softer but still attractive (and still rumpled) maturity. Of course, you start with dreams of being a star. Women appreciate the sensitivity he brought to his romantic roles; gay fans appreciate his well-rounded, unstereotyped gay characters; and the intelligence, humor and detail - the smile that started in the eyes, the extra pat or squeeze, the subtle nuances he gave to his lines, his beautiful, flexible voice - are Bates hallmarks that made him special to all his admirers. However, Bates has continued to work successfully on the stage and has appeared in highly-acclaimed TV dramas such as The Mayor of Casterbridge (1978) and An Englishman Abroad (1983), again with John Schlesinger.